A makeover for Martin's

New colors, new products, new layout at new location

New colors, new products, new layout at new location

August 13, 2006|HEIDI PRESCOTT Tribune Staff Writer

MISHAWAKA -- Think you know your neighborhood Martin's? Are you able to find what you need instinctively? Is the layout so familiar that you can picture the aisle and shelf that holds, say, peanut butter, and the case containing milk? You're in for a surprise. From the moment you close the car door and head toward the 38-foot arched entry of the Martin's under construction at Heritage Square, it looks and feels different. A lot different. And there's still eight weeks of additional construction. "I'm lost," said Rob Bartels, president and chief executive officer of Martin's, as he ducks under sheets of plastic that divide departments. He looks around and regains his bearings as he explains his disorientation. "I haven't been here in three weeks -- it looks so different," Bartels said as he motioned to wallboards and light fixtures. "We're setting a tone with the decor package to make it feel comfortable here." Gone is the drab gray paint, as construction crews coat the interior walls in earth tones. "We wanted our store to be invisible to the customer before, so the focus was on the products. This is our first try at colors -- that's a dangerous thing for grocers," Bartels said with a chuckle. "We're still playing with our crayons," he added as the tour of the store moved to the Side Door Deli construction zone. Customers seated along the glass-lined walls of the deli, nearest to Gumwood Road, or on the patio outside, will look out on a "village square." A sculpture resting atop a 33-foot limestone column will be the focal point, with a fountain, trees, and landscaping. "This will be nice, won't it?" Bartels said. Because Heritage Square is a grocery-anchored center, the early discussions about design turned into give-and-take sessions between the grocer and developer. But both Martin's and Holladay Properties knew they wanted the store to blend with the entire development. It is the reason behind the masonry and varied roof elevations along the front of the 71,000-square-foot store. The multi-tenant buildings closer to Cleveland Road, which will contain Coldwater Creek and Ann Taylor Loft, among other stores, will look quite similar. The project offered Martin's the chance to get creative, as opposed to just pulling previous blueprints and tweaking them here and there. And this is the first time Bartels recalls that Martin's is not right next to a national pharmacy brand. "Unless it really, really, really works well, it won't be a new prototype," Bartels said. "But it's something the whole company is excited about: the opportunity to experiment." This includes experimenting with a new mix of products, as this store will add many more natural, whole and organic foods across categories. And it means adding space dedicated to classes and education. In other ways, blending village aesthetics with a grocery store proved more challenging. A very wide sidewalk that had been proposed in front of the store for appearance-sake, for example, ended up narrower. Function outweighed design in that case, the groups agreed. "Suppose someone is carrying a 40-pound bag of water softener salt -- you don't want him to struggle to get to his car," said Doug Hunt, managing partner on the project for South Bend-based Holladay. "The approach Martin's has been taking with its store also is a plus for some of the folks we're talking to," Hunt added. "One apparel store wanted to know about Martin's and how its demographics fit with the offerings at the grocery store." Those offerings are expected to arrive at the store sometime in late September, as Martin's should open in early October. "We have hung onto things that make Martin's, Martin's," Bartels said, "but it will look significantly different." Tribune staff writer Heidi Prescott:hprescott@sbtinfo.com(574) 235-6070